SIR: Flick Drummond's weak letter last week (Chronicle, November 11) fails to address the issues.

She says there have been 60 years of under-investment in water infrastructure. For 40 of those years from 1979, the Tories have been reducing public spending. It was bad for the economy. Then, water was given to private companies to invest. Ms Drummond says they haven't.

Then we didn’t invest in the North, in housing, prisons, the NHS, social care—you name it—we’ve under-invested. If we don’t throw huge sums of money at these things now, they will never be tackled.

We also need to spend huge amounts on climate change—for example, to finance home insulation and replacing gas boilers. What householder will spend on that without a government grant?

It’s no good wringing our hands about the awful cost and extra debt, whilst we pollute rivers and let climate change happen.

On Owen Paterson, everybody knew that he had offended. No MP defends him—and he had an appeal process—only it isn't called an “appeal”.

Yet Ms Drummond voted to support Paterson; this week I hope she is free to condemn him—as hopefully this time the PM will not bully backbench MP’s to vote the wrong way. It’s terrible to see even the voting process in parliament being corrupted.

On Owen Paterson, I have written in similar vein to Steve Brine, MP for Winchester.

I am appalled to write such awful things to our MPs, who work so hard and tirelessly for us—and now have threats to their personal safety.

Philip Morgan,

Kilham Lane,

Winchester